Early the next morning, the first-year team gathered at the Tokyo Jujutsu High training grounds.
Maki, Inumaki, and Yuta were already jogging around the track to warm up, while Panda sat lazily on the grass, cheering them on. As a cursed corpse created by Yaga, physical exercise didn't do much for him — all he could do was wait for their teacher to arrive.
"Looks like everyone's early today."
Before long, Jinsuke appeared, hands in his pockets and a grin tugging at his face. He and Gojo had divided up the day's lessons — Jinsuke would handle morning physical combat training, while Gojo taught jujutsu techniques in the afternoon.
If Jinsuke was going to work harder, then Gojo definitely wasn't escaping the same fate.
"Good morning, Zenin-sensei" Panda greeted, standing up.
Seeing the towering cursed corpse before him, Jinsuke rubbed his chin in interest.
"You must be Principal Yaga's masterpiece, huh?"
"Yeah, he's my creator — kind of like my dad," Panda replied, scratching the back of his head.
"An incredible piece of work," Jinsuke mused sincerely. He truly admired Yaga's talent. To create a cursed corpse capable of generating its own cursed energy, thinking independently, and even feeling emotions — wasn't that essentially the ability to produce an army of sorcerers?
If Geto had Yaga's power instead, could his dream of eradicating non-sorcerers actually come true? Jinsuke couldn't say for sure, but if those two ever joined forces, even Gojo might not be able to stop them.
He clapped his hands together. "Alright, enough warming up. Let's get to the main event."
The students stopped running and gathered before him.
"Master, what are we doing today?" Maki asked, excitement flickering in her eyes.
Though Jinsuke had guided her before, this was the first time she'd received an official lesson.
He swept his gaze across the four of them — Inumaki, the lone heir of his clan; Panda, the principal's 'son'; Yuta, Gojo's protégé; and Maki, his own disciple. Quite the lineup.
"There's just about a month left before Geto's Night Parade of a Hundred Demons. Your job is simple — become as strong as possible before then."
He folded his arms.
"Starting today, your morning lessons will consist of fighting me. You'll only be allowed to use physical techniques — though I'll be generous and let you use cursed energy and weapons."
By combining hand-to-hand combat with cursed energy, they'd become more attuned to their bodies — maybe even touch the threshold of Black Flash.
No one objected; they all knew Jinsuke was here to teach them physical combat. Only Maki frowned slightly. She couldn't use cursed energy at all.
"Alright, let's begin. If any of you can land even one hit on me, class ends early."
He extended one hand, curling his fingers in a taunting gesture while keeping the other tucked behind his back. The message was clear: he'd only use one hand.
"Don't underestimate us!" Maki shouted and charged first, her long-handled blade gleaming in the morning sun.
She'd seen her teacher fight before — his strength was undeniable. But using only one hand? That felt like an insult.
Her blade thrust forward — and Jinsuke merely tilted his head aside, flicking the blade with his finger.
Clang!
The crisp ring of steel echoed through the air. A violent shock ran through Maki's hands, sending the sword flying sideways and nearly wrenching it from her grip. She barely managed to steady herself, switching hands as her right arm went numb.
Pushing her glasses up, she stared at him — a mix of frustration and awe in her eyes.
"So this is master's strength... Could I ever reach that level?"
"Everyone, stay sharp! Coordinate!" she shouted and charged again.
"I'm in!" Panda bellowed, his massive frame moving with surprising speed. He had no special technique — his forte was pure physical power.P erfect chance to see just how big the gap was between him and the strongest close-quarters fighter at Jujutsu High.
Seeing this, Yuta and Inumaki exchanged a quick glance and joined the attack.
But to Jinsuke, their movements looked no different from elementary school kids flailing about. Honestly, even Gojo looked that way when he sparred using only taijutsu.
Clang! Thud!
An hour later, the four were drenched in sweat, panting heavily — yet none had landed a single hit.
"Don't just focus on swinging. In battle, you need to find your weaknesses. Move fast, strike accurately, hit with intent! Don't hesitate! Aim for the vital points — what, are you afraid you'll hurt me?"
He jabbed a finger toward them, continuing the lecture.
"Maki, did you skip breakfast? Where's your strength? Yuta, you're a special-grade sorcerer — but your close combat's pathetic! Planning to let Rika fight all your battles for you? Panda, Inumaki… ah, forget it. Guess I was expecting too much."
He sighed. From his perspective, their technique was full of flaws — low stats aside, their fundamentals were all over the place. The coming month was going to be busy.
"Raaaaagh! How dare you insult Yuta?!"
A deafening roar erupted behind Yuta as cursed energy exploded outward. Rika had manifested — furious.
Her wrathful presence warped the air. How dare this man tell Yuta not to rely on her? She'd make him eat those words.
"Rika, calm down! He's just trying to help me!" Yuta pleaded, terrified she might actually attack his teacher.
"Well, well, a yandere, huh?" Jinsuke muttered with a grin, cracking his knuckles.
Such overwhelming cursed energy… if he were to kill her, how much vitality would that grant him? The thought almost made his hands itch.
But he stopped himself.
"Ah, whatever. I'm a teacher — I'll let it slide this time. Just don't do that again, alright?"
He shot her an amused look. To him, she wasn't a terrifying curse — just an adorable piece of "upgrade material".
Rika glared back, the eye in the center of her forehead narrowing before closing. With a frustrated growl, she retreated into Yuta's body. If not for Yuta's sake, she'd have torn that smug teacher apart.
"Alright, that's it for today," Jinsuke announced, clapping his hands. "Rest up and review what you learned. We'll continue tomorrow."
"Yes, sir!"
The students collapsed onto the grass, completely spent — both physically and mentally. Getting beaten up for over an hour wasn't easy.
Clap, clap, clap.
Gojo appeared beside Jinsuke, applauding lightly.
"Good work, everyone. In one hour, I'll be holding your jujutsu class. Don't be late."
The students groaned in despair.When had Jujutsu High gotten this serious? Wasn't it supposed to be a fun and relaxed school?
Where was the "joyful learning" they'd been promised?
The truth was simple — if Jinsuke was putting in real effort, Gojo Satoru wasn't about to be outdone.
The two teachers had the same goal: make their students stronger. Unfortunately, it was the students who'd be suffering for it.